Skirt



1956 M. GOLDSTEIN 2,758,312

SKIRT Filed Nov. 22, 1952 INVENTOR l MAW; L $040571! ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent SKIRT Morris L. Goldstein, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application November 22, 1952, Serial No. 322,015

2 Claims. (Cl. 2212) This invention relates generally to improvements inwomens garments and particularly to an improved skirt having meansforming trouser or slack leg-s therein.

It is known in the art of clothing to make provision in a skirt fortrouser legs, rendering the garment more suitable for sport activitiessuch as bowling, operating an automobile and many others. However, withthe advent of and passing of various styles, known arrangements of suchskirts are not useful, since not only must functionality be built in theskirt, but also the skirt must be of presently popular style.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a skirt that iseasily convertible from the appearance of a skirt to a sport garmentcontaining trouser legs for the comfort of the wearer.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a skirt with afrontal opening to the side edges of which the trouser leg formingpanels are, respectively, attached so that opening and closing thefrontal opening expands the front parts of the trouser legs or toprovide a skirt with an inverted pleat at the back thereof with thepanels fastened in vertical alignment but spaced above the invertedpleat. This arrangement assures sufiicient freedom for walking or otheractivities regardless of how the garment is being used.

Other objects and features of importance will become apparent infollowing the description of the illustrated embodiment of theinvention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the skirt forming the invention;

Figure 2, a similar view, the Waist fastener and front fastener beingopen;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the skirt takensubstantially on the line 33 of Figure l and in the direction of thearrows;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure3 and in the direction of the arrows.

The illustrated garment is a typical embodiment of the invention and isa skirt of current style including fly front 12 and inverted pleat 14 atthe lower back thereof. Waistband 16 caps the upper edges of four panels18, 20, 22 and 24 which are stitched together to form the skirt tube orbody, panel-s 20 and 22 being stitched at side seam 26 and panels 18 and24 being stitched together at side seam 28. At the upper end of seam 26there is a fastening means, or slide fastener 30, that extends throughwaistband 16 controlling the placket 32 of conventional design and use.

Although fly front 12 is shown, a different type of front opening couldbe selected. However, in view of current style demand the fly front ischosen, as is the slide fastener 34 to control the frontal opening inthe skirt behind the fly front. Means forming divided or trouser legsare provided in the skirt and are located at a position between thelower end and the waistband of the skirt. Included therein are panels 38and 44 disposed in side-by-side relation when the fastener 34 is closed.The panel 38 coacts with panels 20 and 22 to form one trouser leg, whilepanel 40 coacts with panels 18 and 24 to form the other trouser leg.

The place of the juncture of the panels 38 and 4th with the remainder ofthe skirt is of considerable importance in allowing a maximum of freedomand comfort in the use of the garment. The rear edge portions of panels38 and 40 are joined to and form a part of seam 42 which also joinspanels 22 and 24. Seam 42 extends up to waistband 16 and throughinverted pleat 14 as well as the hem 44 of the skirt. Thus, the trouserleg forming panels are always retained together at the back verticaledges thereof. Ample freedom of motion "for the wearer is obtained byhaving the back edges of panels 38 and 40 terminate at a point inseam 42above pleat 14 (Figures 2 and 3). The front edge of panel 38 is stitchedto the edge of panel 20 that forms an edge of the skirt frontal opening,and the front edge of panel 40 is stitched to the edge of panel 18 whichforms the other edge of the skirt frontal opening. The confronting edgesof panels 18 and 20 above panels 38 and 40 and also slide fastener 34are stitched together and the seam constituted thereby extends underwaistband 16 that is appropriately stitched as at 50.

It follows, then, that the position of slide fastener 34 will govern theamount of freedom obtained between trouser legs. When the fastener isclosed (Figure 1), panels 38 and 40 are held close together at the frontedges thereof and to all external appearances the garment is aconventional skirt. But, when the fastener 34 is open (Figure 2), thefront portions of panels 38 and 40 can be close together or spreadwidely depending on the activity of the wearer.

Attention is invited to Figure 3 where the shape of panel 38 (andidentical panel 40) is visible. The hemmed upper edges of panels 38 and4d are curved, extending downwardly toward the center thereof so as toform a comfortable crotch 54. As previously indicated, the back edges ofpanels 38 and 40 connected with seam 42 terminate above pleat 14 torelease inverted pleat 14 giving fullness in the skirt at all times,especially when walking with fastener 34 closed. However, the remainderof panels 38 and 40 may extend to the skirt hem 44 for additionaltrouser leg length.

Even though one form of the invention is illustrated and described, itis understood that modifications that fall within the scope of theclaims may be made Without departing from the protection thereof.Moreover, various conventions used in the art may be resorted to, as theexpedient of hemming edges or providing a Waistband strap 58 in thegarment.

What is claimed is:

1. In a combined bifurcated skirted garment, an outer skirt body havinga waistband portion, said skirt body comprising right and left portionsand having a fly front extending vertically downwardly from thewaistband, said fly front having fastening means extending short of thelower edge of the skirt and being unsecured therebelow, the rear portionof the skirt having a central vertical seam extending from the Waistbandportion and connecting said right and left portions and provided withinwardly directed seam margins, the bottom of the skirt at said rearseam having an inverted pleat, with said seam ending at the top of thepleat, a pair of generally rectangular dividing panels disposed in avertical transverse position within the skirt body and each having anarcuate top edge with straight front and rear edges, each of saiddividing panels its front edge connected to an edge of the fly frontfrom a point above the vertical midportion of the skirt, the oppositevertical edge of each dividing panel being connected to a margin of therear seam from the level of the top edge of the front edge connection tothe top of the inverted pleat and hanging freely in the area of thepleat, so that said dividing panels extend in side-by-side relation, thetop having other to form a crotch.

2. In a combined bifurcated skirted garment, an outer skirt body havinga waistband portion, said skirt body having a fly front extendingvertically downwardly from the waistband, said fly front havingfastening means extending short of the lower edge of the skirt and beingunsecured therebelow, the rear portion of the skirt having a centralvertical seam connecting said right and left portions and provided withinwardly directed seam margins, a pair of generally rectangular dividingpanels disposed in a vertical transverse position within the skirt bodyand each having an arcuate top edge with straight front and rear edges,each of said dividing panels having its front edge connected to an edgeof the fly front from a point above the vertical midportion of theskirt, the opposite vertical edge of each dividing panel being connectedto a margin of the rear seam from the level of the top edge of the frontedge connection to a point spaced from the bottom of the skirt, so thatsaid dividing panels extend in side-by-side relation, the top arcuateedges of said dividing panel-s being secured to each other to form acrotch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,029,583 Bennett June 18, 1912 1,398,720 Hershey Nov. 29, 19212,138,365 Wilson Nov. 29, 1938 2,255,143 Alexander Sept. 9, 19412,343,480 Sansorn Mar. 7, 1944 OTHER REFERENCES Vogue Dressrnaking Book,10th edition, 1949, Cond Nast Publications Inc., p. 53, paragraph 3 anddiagram. (Copy available Division 24.)

